Link management of document structures

• US 7,275,066 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2001
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Priestley, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEL JALIL, NEVEEN
• Application Number:
  US09/927,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20030018650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/103.X, 707/104, 707/102, 707/101, 707/100, 370/17, 370/94.3
• US Class Current: 707/800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Links are managed and units of information are linked based on a list having identifiers placed in a hierarchical order relative to other identifiers, the identifiers for identifying the units of information. Lists are stored and examined to determine the hierarchical order of the identifiers relative to the other identifiers, and a unit of information is linked to at least one other unit of information based on a relative hierarchical order between an identifier identifying the unit of information and another identifier identifying at least one other unit of information.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computer system having a Central Processing Unit (CPU) coupled to computer readable memory to store a list of identifiers, and said method to create and manage links amongst units of information based on said list of identifiers arranged in an hierarchical order wherein each identifier identifies an associated unit of information, said method comprising the steps of:

storing said list of identifiers in the computer system, wherein said list of identifiers has a user determined relative hierarchical order to direct a link management system in the creation of said links;

examining said list of identifiers to determine the hierarchical order of said identifiers within said list of identifiers;

linking a unit of information to at least one other unit of information based on the relative hierarchical order of identifiers including;

an identifier identifying said unit of information; and

another identifier identifying said at least one other unit of information,

wherein;

said units of information are units of target information;

each said identifier of said list of identifiers is configured to identify source information content of a unit of source information assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of target information;

said list of identifiers further comprises;

a first subset of identifiers that identifies said units of target information to be generated by said system, said first subset hierarchically ordered to indicate preferred linking of said units of target information;

a second subset of identifiers that identifies said source information content to be inserted into said units of target information being identified by said first subset of identifiers;

said step of linking is configured to link a unit of target information from among said units of target information to at least one other unit of target information from among said units of target information based on the relative hierarchical order of identifiers including;

an identifier of said first subset that identifies said unit of target information;

at least one other identifier of said first subset that identifies said at least one other unit of target information; and

said method further comprising the steps of;

generating said units of target information; and

inserting at least one source information content into a unit of target information from among said units of target information based on an identifier of said second subset identifying said at least one source information content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said units of information are units of target information;

each said identifier of said list of identifiers is configured to identify source information content of a unit of source information;

the method further comprising the steps of;

generating said units of target information;

examining said list of identifiers to identify said source information content assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of target information; and

inserting said source information content into a unit of target information from among said units of target information based on the identifier of said unit of target information identifying said source information content.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a plurality of source information content is assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of target information.

4. The method of claims 2 or 3 wherein said identifiers of said list are data tags of a markup language.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said list of identifiers further includes a third subset of identifiers that identifies links that interlink units of target information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of linking is configured to insert URL links.

8. The link management system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of source information content is assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of information.

9. The link management system of claim 1 wherein:

said units of information are units of target information;

each said identifier of said list of identifiers is configured to identify source information content of a unit of source information assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of target information;

said list of identifiers further comprises;

a first subset of identifiers that identifies said units of target information to be generated by said system, said first subset hierarchically ordered to indicate preferred linking of said units of target information;

a second subset of identifiers that identifies said source information content to be inserted into said units of target information identified by said first subset of identifiers;

said means for linking is configured to link a unit of target information from among said units of target information to at least one other unit of target information from among said units of target information based on the relative hierarchical order of identifiers including;

an identifier of said first subset that identifies said unit of target information;

at least one other identifier of said first subset that identifies said at least one other unit of target information; and

link management system further comprises;

means for generating said units of target information; and

means for inserting at least one source information content into a unit of target information from among said units of target information based on an identifier of said second subset identifying said at least one source information content.

10. The link management system of claim 9 wherein said list of identifiers further includes a third subset of identifiers that identifies links that inter-link units of target information.

11. The link management system of claim 10 wherein the means for linking is configured to insert URL links.

12. The link management system of claim 8 or 10 wherein said identifiers of said list are data tags of a markup language.

7. A link management system to create links amongst units of information based on a list of identifiers arranged in an hierarchical order wherein each identifier identifies an associated unit of information, said system comprising:

a Central Processing Unit (CPU) coupled to a memory, the memory comprising;

means for storing said list of identifiers, wherein said list of identifiers has a user determined relative hierarchical order to direct said link management system in the creation of said links;

means for examining said list of identifiers to determine the hierarchical order of said identifiers within said list of identifiers;

means for linking a unit of information to at least one other unit of information based on the relative hierarchical order of identifiers including;

an identifier identifying said unit of information; and

another identifier identifying said at least one other unit of information,

wherein

said units of information are units of target information;

each said identifier of said list of identifiers is configured to identify source information content of a unit of source information;

the link management system further comprises;

means for generating said units of target information;

means for examining said list of identifiers to identify said source information content assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of target information; and

means for inserting said source information content into a unit of target information from among said units of target information based on the identifier of said unit of target information identifying said source information content.

13. A computer program product in a computer system having a Central Processing Unit (CPU) coupled to a computer readable memory, the computer program product including a computer-readable data storage medium tangibly embodying computer readable program code executable on a computer to direct said computer to create and manage links amongst units of information based on a list of identifiers arranged in an hierarchical order wherein each identifier identifies an associated unit of information, said computer program product comprising:

code to instruct said computer system to store said list of identifiers, wherein said list of identifiers has a user determined relative hierarchical order to direct a link management system in the creation of said links;

code to instruct said computer system to examine said list of identifiers to determine the hierarchical order of said identifiers within said list of identifiers;

code to instruct said computer system to link a unit of information to at least one other unit of information based on the relative hierarchical order of identifiers including;

an identifier identifying said unit of information; and

another identifier identifying said at least one other unit of information,

wherein;

said units of information are units of target information;

each said identifier of said list of identifiers is configured to identify source information content of a unit of source information;

said computer program product further comprises;

code to instruct said computer system to generate said units of target information;

code to instruct said computer system to examine said list of identifiers to identify said source information content assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of target information;

and

code to instruct said computer system to insert said source information content into a unit of target information from among said units of target information based on the identifier of said unit of target information identifying said source information content.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein a plurality of source information content is assigned to at least one unit of target information.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

said units of information are units of target information;

each said identifier of said list of identifiers is configured to identify source information content of a unit of source information assigned to a unit of target information;

said list of identifiers further comprises;

a first subset of identifiers for identifying said units of target information to be generated by said system, said first subset hierarchically ordered to indicate preferred linking of said units of target information;

a second subset of identifiers for identifying said source information content to be inserted into said units of target information being identified by said first subset of identifiers;

said code to instruct said computer system to link is configured to link a unit of target information to at least one other unit of target information based on the relative hierarchical order of identifiers including;

an identifier of said first subset for identifying said unit of target information;

at least one other identifier of said first subset for identifying said at least one other unit of target information; and

said computer program product further comprises;

code to instruct said computer system to generate said units of target information; and

code to instruct said computer system to insert at least one source information content into a unit of target information based on an identifier of said second subset identifying said at least one source information content.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

said units of information are units of target information;

each said identifier of said list of identifiers is configured to identify source information content of a unit of source information assigned to a unit of target information from among said units of target information;

said list of identifiers further comprises;

a first subset of identifies that identifies said units of target information to be generated by said system, said first subset hierarchically ordered to indicate preferred linking of said units of target information;

a second subset of identifiers that identifies said source information content to be inserted into said units of target information being identified by said first subset of identifiers;

said code to instruct said computer system to link is configured to link a unit of target information from among said units of target information to at least one other unit of target information from among said units of target information based on the relative hierarchical order of identifiers including;

an identifier of said first subset that identifies said unit of target information;

at least one other identifier of said first subset that identifies said at least one other unit of target information; and

said computer program product further comprises;

code to instruct said computer system to generate said units of target information; and

code to instruct said computer system to insert at least one source information content into a unit of target information from among said units of target information based on an identifier of said second subset identifying said at least one source information content.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein said list of identifiers further includes a third subset of identifiers that identifies links that inter-link units of target information.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein said code to instruct said computer system to link is configured to insert URL links.